## Tuesday, 19 April 2011

### M208 M346 M337 I saw one go out and another Two come back in

Today 1 day late, I posted my off my first TMA for M346 linear statistical modelling. I felt it was fairly straightforward essentially being exercises in interpretation of output from GENSTAT and a review of some statistical tests. Essentially revision there were one or two points I hadn't come across before. So quietly confident of a reasonable grade although one can never be sure whether I've missed out something fundamental.

So thats one out. Also on my door step I found my returned TMA for complex variables slightly disappointed as I didn't make distinction due to some careless mistakes also some times I was quite rigorous in my arguments other times I missed out key justifications thus omitting to mention that a sequence tended to zero as it was a null sequence just stating that the sequence tended to zero.  I think it's a question of learning how to phrase arguments in analysis properly. Some times I'm guilty of making to many points other times I miss out key steps. Still one can only go on.

In contrast I seemed to have done really well with the TMA for M208 which I received earlier this week . I wonder if it will continue when I get to the analysis sections. Hopefully some of the lesson's I'm learning from M337 will help here.

As a final point talking with one of my mates Neil at the tutorial

http://neilanderson.freehostia.com/thoughts/degree/m208/

We both worried that in the chase to get good marks for the TMA's we were skimping on details and understanding. Still need's must Alan my tutor himself said that as far as the  first two units of linear algebra were concerned we should just concentrate on whether we have learnt the basic techniques and then concentrate on the more abstract stuff in the latter part of the block.

I think it's a question of concentrating on what you feel you need to know in detail for me this is group theory and analysis as far as M208 is concerned specifically learning how to deal with the dreaded

$$\epsilon - \delta$$ definitions of continuity and it's applications to pathological functions such as the so called blancmage function which is an iterated sequence of triangles. This function is every where continuous and no where differentiable. I'll speak more about this on another post.  Also most of M337 even though it is currently the most challenging part of pure mathematics I have tackled so far. Still as I said to Neil we are not here for an easy ride.

This means that M346 will have to take a back burner and I will be fairly pragmatic about the work I need to do for this course which means essentially working backwards from the TMA questions.